


Humpty Dumpty

by nyx (ghostedMinds)



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Comforting Kenma, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-10
Updated: 2016-07-10
Packaged: 2018-07-22 16:02:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7445254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostedMinds/pseuds/nyx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kuroo is always getting into fights. Lucky for him, Kenma is always there to patch him back up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Humpty Dumpty

It doesn’t surprise Kenma anymore – the split lip, purpling bruise on cheek, bloodied knuckles, and what looks like a scratch but is most likely a knife wound on the temple. A lazy smirk and glowing eyes look at him, a lazy wave thrown in his direction.

“Kuro” Kenma says into the cold night air, breath fogging and voice too quiet (always too quiet).

“Kenma” Kuroo responds, eyes tracking Kenma as he walks further into the park, coming to a stop in front of the swing Kuroo is gently rocking on. They stay that way for a few moments, transfixed.

Kenma breaks the pause by shrugging his backpack off and taking the first-aid kit out of it. Questions linger on his tongue; ones he won’t voice (so many questions that he’ll never give life too). _Who was it this time? Why did you call me again? Why do you always fight? What was it about? What happened to them?_ And the most important question, _are you okay?_

“Sorry kitten” Kuroo says, voice only revealing a hint of apology, hissing as Kenma cleans the knife wound first.

“You’re a mess” is the response. It only causes Kuroo’s grin to grow though, an arm wrapping around Kenma’s waist. Kenma lets it, it doesn’t surprise him, they’ve been here many times before.

“ _‘All the king’s men and all the king’s horses couldn’t put Humpty together again.’_ “

Kenma doesn’t know what to say, unsure what Kuroo means, afraid that it’s his way of saying that even Kenma can’t make things okay. So instead, he finishes patching up the knife wound and takes one of Kuroo’s hands in his own to begin wiping the blood away.

“Kenma” Kuroo suddenly calls, eyes sharp as his eyes bore into Kenma’s, hand clutching his. “You’ll never work for the king, and if you do, I’ll protect you.”

Understanding dawn on Kenma, memories flooding back – a smaller Kuroo (one who wasn’t fully Kuro yet) with a branch he brandished as a sword, listening to Kenma as he told him where to move. Talks of kings they served, Kuroo the loyal warrior (but loyal to whom?) and Kenma the brilliant tactician. Talks of kings that betrayed and left men for dead. Memories of kids picking on Kenma, pushing and shoving – and Kuroo (always Kuroo, closer to this Kuro).

The first fight left Kuroo bloodied and bruised and with a broken arm. Reluctantly Kenma allowed Kuroo to talk him into swearing not to tell anyone what really happened. As time passed and both boys grew closer to themselves, the fights increased and Kuroo became more experienced, losing less and wounding more. Then the night fights started; long gone were the reckless brawls to protect – these were fights for pleasure (or maybe to forget).

The first time Kenma had received the words ‘park. come.’ from Kuroo, he’d been worried (terrified). Kuroo had never sent a message like that, a clear command despite a lack of tone or voice. He’d complied, there was, after all, nothing Kenma wouldn’t do for Kuroo if it came down to it.

Panic and fear had consumed Kenma when he’d arrived at the park, eyes falling on a badly beaten Kuroo rocking on the swings. It took Kuroo ten minutes to talk Kenma down from his panic attack, apologizing profusely for scaring Kenma and looking the way he did, but not once did he loosen his grip on Kenma.

It had only continued from there. More fights and more calls out; seeing the pattern, Kenma quickly learned first-aid and started showing up at the park with a backpack containing a first-aid kit, patching Kuroo up the best his limited abilities could (experience preparing him for all types of wounds). A pattern had formed and now it doesn’t surprise Kenma anymore. Those two words, “park” and “come,” the only indication that Kuroo needed him, that it was his turn to hold Kuroo up.

“Kenma?” Kuroo asks with a smirk, pulling Kenma’s hand to his mouth and laying a kiss on the back. Kenma’s arm wraps around Kuroo’s head and pulls it to his stomach, shifting his hand to put palm to palm, grasping Kuroo’s hand. He twists their intertwined hands and kisses each of Kuroo’s knuckles, mindless of the blood he’s bathing his lips in.

“No. Only Humpty’s treasure will put him back together” Kenma says, referring back to Kuroo’s earlier nursery rhyme, kissing the top of Kuroo’s head tenderly, afraid that Kuroo would shatter beneath him, leave him to face a war and some unknown king alone.

“Oho?”

“So don’t be afraid to fall Kuro” Kenma whispers, tightening his grip on Kuroo’s hand, hugging Kuroo’s head for a few seconds longer. He pulls away before Kuroo can say anything, disentangling himself and pulling on Kuroo’s hand. “Home.”

“Yeah” Kuroo agrees, letting Kenma pull him forward, making sure to grab the forgotten backpack. “Home.”

It doesn’t surprise Kuroo anymore. How much Kenma has grown. He might feel guilty if he didn’t feel so much pride at the fact that he’s the cause for it. Reveling in the feeling of Kenma’s nimble fingers working over his skin, fixing his brokenness, looking for any open wound and easing it shut. He’s always tense when it begins, not ready to let go, but Kenma is Kenma and he’s always known how to ease the mask of leadership off of him (time and time again, once and twice and many more).

It doesn’t surprise Kuroo anymore. The confusion he feels when Kenma holds him close, hands running though his wild hair and a quiet yet soothing voice whispering random video game and encouraging babble at him. He’s confused by the feeling that everything is happening for a second and a third time, confused about whether Kenma is healing his physical wounds or if he’s healing something deeper, something harder to fix.

This isn’t the last time they’ll find themselves in this position, Kenma there to hold Kuroo together when the fight gets to tough, when Kuroo is ready to fall apart. So it doesn’t surprise them when a fortnight later, it all repeats again.

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr](http://5917.tumblr.com) |  [commissions](http://5917.tumblr.com/commissions) |  [original story](http://5917.tumblr.com/tagged/%3Bg3)  
> 


End file.
